Family
by Cherry Romancer
Summary: New chapter! It's a new moon tonight! What will happen?~I'm temporarily discontinuing this story. Sorry!!~
1. Secret Pain

"Family"  
  
By: Cherry Romancer  
  
Prologue  
  
"Secret Pain"  
  
A/n: Inu-Yasha has officially become my new obsession. I promised myself to write a fan fiction about him, and now I am. Please note, Inu-chan (as I call him) will be slightly out of character.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. All I own are the episodes I've been having my parents record for me at one in the morning, and an Inu-chan plushie that my mom ordered for me. I wish I did own him, though! (whines)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha sat up in his tree, staring down at the Bone-Eater's well, wondering when Kagome would come back. She hadn't said how long she would be gone this time, and he was starting to get upset about her already long absence. She had been back in her own time for nearly a week and a half, and it was working on his last nerve. Inu-Yasha hated to be separated from anyone he cared about for too long, and he had good reason for it . . .  
  
"Hey! Inu-Yasha!" Sango called up to him, interrupting his thoughts. "Come on down from there! Kaede's made us lunch! Come and eat!"  
  
"Not hungry," he replied gruffly. Sango snorted at his response and stalked away. Inu-Yasha hadn't meant to be so curt about it. She was, after all, talking about food. He just was in a pissy mood, just like he was every time Kagome left. Inu-Yasha frowned at the well, thinking (again) of going to Kagome's time and dragging her back.  
  
Inu-Yasha, if you follow me through the well again, I'll sit you so hard that it'll hurt your great grandchildren! The memory of Kagome's warning rang so clearly in his mind that it was almost as if she were right in his ear now, yelling at him. So he sighed and stopped frowning at the well. He decided that he might as well get some of that lunch that Sango was talking about. He walked up to Kaede's hut, but before he could enter, Miroku, Sango, Kaede, and Shippo's voices drifted to his sharp dog's ears.  
  
" . . . and he still won't come down from there," Sango grumbled. "I was going to ask him what was really the matter, but the look on his face didn't allow much sympathy."  
  
"What do ye mean by what was really the matter?" Kaede asked. She and Shippo seemed confused, but Miroku nodded knowingly.  
  
"You've noticed it as well, then?" he asked. When Sango nodded, he continued. "There's something odd about Inu-Yasha lately. He's always upset when Kagome goes to her own time, but lately, it seems that there is something else on his mind, not just Kagome."  
  
"That'd be strange," Shippo said. "He usually only thinks about Kagome when she's not here."  
  
"But this was going on before Kagome left," Sango explained. "She said something to me about Inu-Yasha seeming even more stand-offish than he normally is."  
  
Kaede thought for a moment, then nodded. "Aye, ye bring up a good point. Now that I think of it, Inu-Yasha does not seem angry as he always does, but somewhat sad."  
  
"I wonder what it is," Miroku muttered, almost too quietly to be heard.  
  
Inu-Yasha had heard enough. He quickly walked away from the old miko's hut before Shippo or Kirara picked up his scent. He headed quietly back to his tree and perched himself on his usual branch.  
  
He hadn't realized that he was being so obvious with his thoughts that they'd noticed. It was true that Inu-Yasha had been thinking about something other than just Kagome, Naraku, and the jewel shards. He had been thinking about a secret he had kept from everyone, even from Kikyo when she had been alive, and that he was keeping from Kagome now. It had to do with his family . . .  
  
They had no idea that it hadn't just been himself and his mother when he was a little pup. There had been someone else in his family, someone to whom Inu-Yasha had been very close, because she had the exact same problem he did, and she was exactly the same age as he was. He had been thinking about his twin sister, Kakurine.  
  
She had been the only person Inu-Yasha had had to play with as a boy. She and Inu-Yasha had been best friends as well as twin siblings. Ever since Naraku had resurrected Sango's brother, Kohaku, she had been coming to his mind more and more, and he hated to think about his dead sister.  
  
Kakurine had died not too long after they had learned of the existence of the Shikkon Jewel. The two half-demons had desired to become full demons, so they had headed towards the village of the mysterious miko, Kikyo, who could supposedly kill demons with enchanted arrows. Along the way, however, they encountered a demon that was under the control of a pair of witches. The demon was easy enough to kill, but they hadn't been able to touch the witches. Eventually, Kakurine realized that they wouldn't be able to win and she dragged her brother from the futile fight. However, Inu-Yasha still wanted to try, and that was what caused it to happen.  
  
The witches combined their black magic into one power spell and hurled the spell at Inu-Yasha, who didn't have time to react. However, the magic didn't hit him; it hit Kakurine. She had seen the spell coming and pushed Inu-Yasha out of the way. There was a blinding flash of light, and when Inu- Yasha could see again, Kakurine was gone. The witches still were in sight, though visibly worn out. The spell had taken so much out of them that they'd been forced to retreat.  
  
Inu-Yasha had searched for weeks, but he found no trace of either the witches or Kakurine, not even a scent trail. They all had seemed to just vanish into thin air. Inu-Yasha knew that his sister must be dead, and the witches hidden somewhere, alive, and him unable to find them and claim vengeance for his sister. It took him a full four months to recover from the loss of his sister, but he never got over the guilt that he felt even to that day. He knew that if he hadn't been so stubborn, if he'd listened to her for once and run for it, the witches would never have been able to cast the spell that had taken her away from him.  
  
Inu-Yasha furiously scrubbed at his eyes as he felt tears forming in them. No, he had sworn on the day he set out again to collect the Shikkon Jewel that he would never, ever allow himself to cry again. He also tried to promise himself to never let anyone get close, but then he met Kikyo, and the rest is history. And now, Inu-Yasha had fallen for Kagome as well, plus he had friends that he held dear, even if he never would admit it out loud. No, Inu-Yasha had never been able to devoid himself of feelings like he'd tried to do, and even now, because of it, he was feeling a deep pain for Kakurine.  
  
"Damn it! I have to stop thinking about her!" he muttered to himself. The problem was, though, he couldn't. He hadn't been able to, not since they had found out that Kohaku was alive again, and that Sango had a chance to get her brother back. Inu-Yasha would give practically anything to know he had a chance to see Kakurine again, a chance to spend time with her once more.  
  
Suddenly, a sweetly familiar scent rose up from the well. Kagome had come back. Inu-Yasha smiled for a moment, then got angry that she had been gone for so long. He leapt down from the tree just as she climbed up out of the well.  
  
"Why the hell were you gone so long?" he demanded.  
  
"I was gone for a long time because I had very important tests to take at school!" Kagome shouted, her voice carrying to Kaede's hut. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo emerged from the hut (Kirara was sleeping) to see Inu-Yasha and Kagome getting into another one of their arguments.  
  
They sighed. Kagome was back now, so that meant it was business as usual. 


	2. Still Alive

"Family"  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Still Alive"  
  
A/n: Thanks so much for the reviews! It means so much to me that people are reading my work!  
  
Geminidragon: If I told you that about his sister, it would kind of ruin the whole plot, now wouldn't it? But don't worry, because you'll find out this chapter.  
  
=CcM=: The reason she's so much similar is because I based the idea on Koume and Kotake from Oot. It's one of my favorite games, and I liked the idea.  
  
Inuyashas girlfriend: Don't be down on yourself about your work! I can't honestly say I've read your stories, but I plan to, and I'm sure I'll like them. Also, you are very much right about Inu-Chan! He is a total hottie!  
  
Yashamaru: You can be Inu-Yasha's twin in your stories, but this one's mine, so please? And also, thanks for the compliment.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After Inu-Yasha and Kagome had shouted out their tempers, the group set out again in search of the jewel shards with Inu-Yasha in the lead. Kagome, though still a little ticked off at him, was worried about him; he seemed even more melancholy than he had before she had returned to her own time for her mid-term exams. She let herself fall back enough so that she could talk to Sango.  
  
"Did you ever find out what's the deal with Inu-Yasha?" she asked very quietly, in the hopes the half-demon wouldn't hear. She didn't notice his ear twitch backwards, though. Inu-Yasha was listening to every word.  
  
"No, we never did," Sango answered just as quietly. She hadn't noticed Inu- Yasha's ears twitch either.  
  
"We?" Kagome questioned.  
  
"Miroku noticed how he's acting also, plus we talked with Kaede and Shippo, so they know it now too," Sango explained.  
  
"I wish that Inu-Yasha would open up to us more," Kagome said sadly. "We are his friends, and we're willing to help him if we can."  
  
"Tell that to him," Shippo said from his place in Kagome's bike basket. He'd been listening to the entire conversation. "I know we always fight with him, but don't they say that you fight with the people you care about?"  
  
Sango and Kagome couldn't help but smile. Shippo was right about that, but it was impossible to convince Inu-Yasha. "Well, maybe we could . . ."  
  
"Maybe you could stop talking about me!!" Inu-Yasha said loudly, cutting Sango off and causing Miroku to jump. "I'm right here, you know! With these ears, I could hear you whispering two miles away! Stop talking about me like there's something wrong, because there's not!!"  
  
Miroku, having no idea what Inu-Yasha was talking about, looked back at the girls and kitsune. When he saw how they were walking together, he got it right away, but he knew better than to say anything to Inu-Yasha; it would earn him nothing more than about a half hour of yelling and probably a large lump on the head. So instead, he walked back to the girls and said, "Try not to worry too much about Inu-Yasha. He is capable of dealing with things on his own."  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked, satisfied that at least one of their group was willing to leave him alone. What he didn't see, however, walking ahead of everyone, was that Miroku gave them all a meaningful nod, indicating that he too was concerned, but thought it best to wait until Inu-Yasha was either asleep or out of hearing range to talk.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That night, once they had set camp and Inu-Yasha had gone off scouting to make sure there were no demons nearby, they started in on the conversation once again, but going nowhere but in circles. Since they didn't have the slightest inkling as to what could be wrong, as to what could be bothering someone like him, they couldn't even begin to guess how to help. By the time Inu-Yasha returned, they had set up the fire to make dinner and had talked themselves dizzy.  
  
"So, what's for eating tonight?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
Kagome smiled, knowing that he'd like the answer. "I brought practically a cartful of Ramen for us to eat! I don't know why, I just felt like I ought to bring a ton."  
  
"YEAH!! I love Ramen!!!" Inu-Yasha said gleefully. Once the Ramen was cooked and Inu-Yasha was absorbed in eating his food, Kagome sat and watched him, not feeling especially hungry. She had brought a lot of Ramen to help Inu-Yasha to cheer up a little. It seemed to be working too, which made her feel a bit more cheerful. Even so, she just sat there picking at her food, watching Inu-Yasha happily chow down.  
  
She was trying to find some sign of what it was that was bothering him; Inu- Yasha tended to let his barriers drop a little when he was eating. She usually used dinner to try and figure things out about him and it usually worked great, but this time, she couldn't read him at all. Whatever he was hiding, he really wanted it to stay hidden. She gave up and started to eat her now-cold Ramen.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After everyone had finally fallen asleep, Inu-Yasha relaxed, perched on a branch high up in a tree. (A/n: What is it with Inu-Chan and trees?) He had seen Kagome watching him during dinner, and was starting to wonder if he should tell them what was up; if they were that worried about him, why not?  
  
He answered that question right away. If he told them, it would show weakness. It was bad enough that they already knew about him having loved Kikyo and his mother, but to know about Kakurine, he just couldn't stand the thought for some reason. He looked down at Kagome in her sleeping bag for a moment and a strange thought came to mind.  
  
"Why am I so afraid of showing them my weaknesses? They're my friends. They won't care." Inu-Yasha shook his head the second he thought that. He couldn't believe how much having friends had softened him. It was unnerving to know that he was now considering telling them about his sister.  
  
When his eyes fell on Kagome again, he began to think that he could at very least trust her. He'd know Kagome longer than anyone else, and in many ways she was very much the best friend he'd lost in Kakurine.  
  
As he started to drift off, Inu-Yasha came to a decision that surprised even him; he was going to tell Kagome what it was that was bothering him. He was going to tell her about Kakurine.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"There he is sister!" whispered a musical voice.  
  
"I don't believe it! He's even more handsome than I remember!" whispered a different, yet equally beautiful voice.  
  
"And to think we missed our chance so long ago!" whispered the first one.  
  
"Yes, yes, I know!" came the other, now sounding frustrated. "And then he went and met that Kikyo bitch and fell in love! I wanted him to come to me!"  
  
"Hey now!" said the first, now sounding irritated. "You promised to share! I know you're older, but you did promise you'd share such a handsome young demon!"  
  
"You mean half-demon," corrected a third, slightly younger voice.  
  
"Yes, yes, we know child," said the second voice. "It's just easier to call him demon. I've seen him fight, and trust me, it's close enough to the truth."  
  
"Well, shall we strike now?" asked the first voice, now sounding eager.  
  
"Let's wait until tomorrow," whispered the second voice. "I want it to be broad daylight so that I can see the look on his face when he sees and smells us. Right, child?"  
  
"Yes ma'am," said the third voice.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning was pretty much routine; Inu-Yasha and Kagome watched as Sango attempted to beat the lecherous monk over the head with her boomerang for attempting to grab her ass again. After a while they set out again, keeping sharp eyes, ears, and noses out for any sign of trouble. Inu-Yasha had resolved to tell Kagome what was the matter when they stopped for lunch, but he wouldn't get to wait that long. Something was about to happen that he never expected.  
  
They had only traveled about two miles when Kagome suddenly gasped. When they looked askance of her, she said, "Jewel shards! I sense three jewel shards heading straight for us!"  
  
"It's not Kouga, is it?" Sango asked.  
  
"No chance of that; it's not moving fast enough!" Kagome said.  
  
Inu-Yasha's nose picked up three different scents at that exact moment, and then he gasped. He recognized all three of those scents. He turned, drawing the Tetsugia from its scabbard, but tensing up in a way that none of them had ever seen before. He didn't seem to be readying for a fight.  
  
They all heard two musical voices laugh gaily. Inu-Yasha began to twitch; he knew that laugh.  
  
"Come out and show yourselves!!" he screamed suddenly. "I know you're nearby! I can smell you! Show yourselves!!"  
  
"Should we Rei?" asked one voice.  
  
"Why not Mei?" answered the other voice.  
  
Before their eyes, two beautiful-looking women appeared. One had long purple hair and ice-blue eyes, and the other had long ice-blue hair and purple eyes. Both wore short black kimonos and had an air of evil hovering around them.  
  
"Long time no see, Inu-Yasha dear," said the purple-haired one. "You may not remember us very well, seeing as it's been over fifty years since we last met. I am Rei."  
  
"And I am Mei," the blue-haired one said.  
  
"I know perfectly well who the two of you are!" Inu-Yasha snarled. "What the hell do you want?"  
  
"Inu-Yasha, be careful!" Kagome warned. "They each have a shard of the Shikkon Jewel!"  
  
"I don't give a damn! They hurt me very badly the last time I saw them, and they're going to pay for it!!" With that said, Inu-Yasha charged at them with the Tetsugia ready to slice them in half.  
  
"Dear, dear, what a temper," Mei said. The two of them jumped into the air and floated there.  
  
Inu-Yasha turned and was about to strike again when he suddenly felt something hit him hard in the back. It didn't hurt a terrible lot, but it didn't throw him off balance enough that he fell.  
  
Inu-Yasha sat up, catching the scent of the one who attacked him. He suddenly froze, suddenly was unwilling to turn and face his attacker.  
  
"What the?" Shippo cried. "Who's that demon?"  
  
Inu-Yasha stood up and turned to face his attacker. What he saw before him was enough to make him drop the Tetsugia.  
  
His attacker was a young girl dog demon with long white hair, yellow eyes, wearing a very short magenta kimono tied together with a purple sash, and she had the same dog-ears he did. In fact, aside from being a girl, she could have been Inu-Yasha's double.  
  
"She looks . . ." Sango began.  
  
"Just like . . ." Miroku continued.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome finished.  
  
Mei and Rei began to laugh gaily again as Inu-Yasha began to tremble. The demon standing in front of him was the one he had been thinking of for so long.  
  
"Long time no see, dear brother," she said.  
  
"Kakurine," Inu-Yasha whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/n: Hee-hee!! I'm so glad I was finally able get this chapter written down! I've been having a writer's black lately, so it was hard. I probably dragged out the whole Kakurine thing a bit more than I ought to have, but I love theatrics, so can you blame me? I hoe you like this chapter. I'll try to have the next one up sooner! Please, remember to review, and no flames!! Constructive criticism is welcome, though. 


	3. Secret Revealed

"Family"  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Secret Revealed"  
  
A/n: Once again, thanks for the reviews! I'm so glad that I haven't got flames yet; I was half expecting to. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing!  
  
Geminidragon: Yes, I'm aware it was evil of me. It was evil because I am evil! (Insert evil laugh here)  
  
Conscience Fairy: That's cool! Like you said, great minds think alike!  
  
Starangel: I hope you can put that story up soon. I'd like to read it.  
  
Serena: (blushes) Thanks so much for that! I appreciated that review!  
  
Inuyashas girlfriend: I read your stories, or rather, some of them, and they aren't as bad as you were making them sound. You're grammar needs a little work, but the stories are just fine. As far as being in this story, if you could e-mail me a profile, I'll see what I can do. My e-mail address is in my author profile.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dear brother? Kagome thought in shock. What does she mean by that, and why did Inu-Yasha drop the Tetsugia? He's never done that before? Before the thought carried any further, she saw something on this new demon girl . . . what had Inu-Yasha called her? Kakurine? . . . Anyway, she saw a jewel shard on the girl's waist.  
  
"Inu-Yasha! Be careful! She has a shard of the Shikkon Jewel also!" But then Kagome realized that Inu-Yasha was plainly not listening. He just stood there, shaking. Wait a second. SHAKING? Inu-Yasha? What was going on with him?  
  
Sango suddenly jumped forward and flung her boomerang at Mei and Rei. The two witches, who were watching Inu-Yasha and Kakurine with great amusement etched on their faces, did not see it coming and didn't move out of the way. The result was they were bashed on their heads and knocked out of the air.  
  
"Ouch! Damn it!" Mei said angrily.  
  
"Now, little sister," Rei said. "Don't get mad. Get even!"  
  
They now turned their attention to Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Shippo. Kagome notched an arrow and shot it at them. (A/n: Is that right? Notching an arrow I mean. If it's not, please let me know.) They avoided it easily this time since they saw it coming, and they came at the four of them quickly. While they attacked them, Inu-Yasha was very preoccupied by the girl standing before him.  
  
"Kakurine," he whispered again. "You're still alive? But how?"  
  
Kakurine glared at him with nothing but pure venom in her eyes for a moment, then she relaxed her fighting stance and said, "The spell the witches flung at you was not a death spell; it was an ensnaring spell. They used it to capture me, even though you are the one they wanted to take."  
  
"Why though? Why do they want me?" Inu-Yasha asked her.  
  
Kakurine looked at him for a moment, her eyes slightly glazed over. Then, her eyes suddenly brightened and she let out a cheerful laugh. You know the sort; the type of laugh that a sister gives when someone admires her brother.  
  
"It's because they wanted you for themselves!" she giggled. "They think you are very handsome!" She laughed harder. "Why they think that, I will never know, but they just wanted you for their own enjoyment."  
  
Inu-Yasha gave her a strange look. For a moment, he'd thought that the witches had been controlling her because she had attacked him, but now he had no idea what was going on. This was the same sort of laugh Kakurine gave whenever he would say that he planned on finding a good mate once they were full-fledged demons, but her eyes were still hazed ever so slightly. It was so slight that not even Inu-Yasha would have spotted it if he hadn't been looking for it.  
  
"Kakurine? Why did you attack me?" he asked. "We're supposed to be best friends as well as twins. Why'd you attack me?"  
  
Kakurine stopped laughing. She gave him a look that was so evil that it reminded him of Sesshomaru. The hazy look in her eyes became more pronounced than ever.  
  
"I attacked you because my mistresses commanded it," she said. With that, she launched herself at him again. Inu-Yasha barely had time to pick up the Tetsugia and transform it before she was lashing at him with her claws. Despite her efforts to harm him, though, Inu-Yasha couldn't bring himself to attack Kakurine. He started to lose ground to her attacks as he defended himself with Tetsugia.  
  
Suddenly, Kakurine jumped backwards, looking at his sword. "Inu-Yasha, what is that sword? I can barely detect it, but father's scent hangs on it. Where did you get that sword?"  
  
Inu-Yasha swung the sword around for her to see more clearly. "This is the Tetsugia. Father made it for me to have, so that I could use it to protect Mother, or any other mortal I care for. I got it from Father's tomb."  
  
Kakurine looked astonished. "You know where our father grave is?"  
  
"Yes. I have it with me all the time to protect it."  
  
She looked ready to ask more, but suddenly, Mei appeared behind her. "What are you doing, child? You are to capture Inu-Yasha and bring him back home! Stop talking and do it now! You will have much time to talk with him over the years, but for now CAPTURE HIM!!!!"  
  
Kakurine grabbed at her head for a moment, seemingly in pain. Inu-Yasha started over to help, when Kakurine said, "I can't! How can I harm my own brother? He's my best friend as well as my twin! How can I fight him anymore than I already have?"  
  
Mei looked at her sister, who was more than enough to keep the other busy, though with slight difficulty. "Rei! Our magic is losing hold on her again! We must retreat!" she called.  
  
Rei looked up and nodded once. She flew backwards from the exhausted group, and the two witches picked up Kakurine by the arms and carried her high.  
  
"NO!! GIVE HER BACK!!! GIVE HER BACK, DAMN YOU!!!!" Inu-Yasha screamed.  
  
"You'll see her again!" Rei assured him. "Don't worry about that. This girl is far too valuable for us to harm. You will see her again the next time you see us!"  
  
Inu-Yasha jumped up, sword ready for some witch slicing, but the two witches vanished before he got close enough, Kakurine right along with them.  
  
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Inu-Yasha howled as they disappeared. "KAKURINE!!!!"  
  
He landed, desperately fighting back his strong desire to cry. He had sworn to never cry again, and he wasn't about to go back on that.  
  
The rest of the team was in shock. The only time Inu-Yasha ever acted like that was if Kagome was captured and he couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. There was something else on Kagome's mind, though.  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" she asked quietly.  
  
Inu-Yasha stood up, sheathed the Tetsugia, and gave her a grumpy, "What?"  
  
"Who was that girl, and why did she look just like you?" Kagome asked boldly, knowing that he would probably not answer.  
  
"Why's that any of your business, wench?" he snapped irritably. He realized what the last word had been the second it was out of his mouth. It was too late to take it back, and he knew what was coming next.  
  
"Oswari!"  
  
~CRASH! ~  
  
Inu-Yasha pulled himself out of the hole his body had made and sat down quietly facing away from them, not uttering a single word, not even mumbling curses under his breath, which was the usual when he got sat. Now they were all concerned. They all got up and walked over to him slowly, worried. Inu-Yasha sighed and stood up before they reached him and turned to face them.  
  
"Do you really want to know that much?" he asked.  
  
For a moment they were unsure whether he meant the girl or what was bothering him lately, but Inu-Yasha cleared it up immediately. "I'll explain, then, what's been bothering me lately and what it has to do with those three."  
  
He sat down again and so did everyone else, having a feeling they were in for a long story. Inu-Yasha had to take a few breaths before he could bring himself to tell them this painful secret.  
  
"It all starts on the day I was born," he said, surprising them all. "I have never told anyone this. Not even Kikyo knew it when she was alive. I was not the only child my mother gave birth to that day. She had another child, a young girl, who was a half demon just as I am."  
  
"You have a twin sister?" Sango asked incredibly.  
  
"Yes. When we were growing up, we were all each other had. There were no children that would play with us because we were half-breeds. She was my best friend as well as my sister; she was the most important person in the world to me. When our mother died, we had nothing left except for each other.  
  
"We traveled together, did everything we could to help one another, and one was there when the other one was hurt or upset. We could hardly stand being apart for five minutes."  
  
Inu-Yasha suddenly stopped. He had choked. Kagome put a comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to encourage him without words to continue. He composed himself again and was about to go on when Shippo interrupted.  
  
"Where is she now, then?" he asked. "If you could hardly stand being apart, how come she's not here?"  
  
Inu-Yasha choked again and looked away while Miroku hit Shippo on the head. After a few minutes, Inu-Yasha continued.  
  
"It was not too long after we learned of the Shikkon Jewel. My sister and I wanted to become full-fledged demons so that we could stand up to our enemies better than we could already. We were on our way to the village where the jewel was supposed to be kept, but on the way, we met with two witches that were controlling a demon."  
  
"Two witches controlling a demon?" Miroku asked in a surprised tone of voice. "Do you mean . . ."  
  
"Yes. Those were the same two witches, but not the same demon they were controlling last time. We killed that demon. The problem was, we couldn't get close enough to get at the witches; they were too quick. My sister tried to get me away from the fight, but I wouldn't go. It was because of that that she was taken away from me."  
  
For the third time, Inu-Yasha choked. Kagome could tell the he was struggling to get the story out. She gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze with the hand that was still on it.  
  
"They flung some sort of spell at me, but she pushed me out of the way. The spell hit her instead and she vanished. The spell had worn out Mei and Rei, so they had to retreat. I never found them, even though I searched for weeks. Until today, I thought that she was dead."  
  
"Until today?" Kagome said. "Then, does that mean that . . ."  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded. "The demon that was with them today was my sister, Kakurine."  
  
Inu-Yasha closed his eyes painfully, got up, and walked towards the nearest tree to sit on a branch. Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Kagome all watched him as he went.  
  
"If this happened fifty years ago, though, why has it been bothering him only recently?" Sango wondered.  
  
"Kohaku!" Miroku said. "You brother was dead, but now he's come alive again thanks to Naraku. Now that I think about it, Inu-Yasha became upset at about the same time we found out about Kohaku being alive. Your lost brother probably reminded him of his lost sister."  
  
"You're probably right," Kagome said. She sighed and looked at Inu-Yasha sadly. "Is there anything we can do to help him?"  
  
"Yeah, there is!" Shippo said suddenly. "You can find them by find the jewel shards they have! You can sense where they are, and then we can rescue Kakurine!"  
  
"That's a great idea Shippo!" Kagome said happily. She stood up and hurried over to Inu-Yasha. "Hey, Inu-Yasha! You want to hear this idea we got to save your sister?" she called up to him.  
  
Inu-Yasha was on the ground in front of her before she could have gotten another syllable out. "How? Do you know how we can find her?" he demanded anxiously.  
  
She smiled at him and told him what Shippo had just said. "Since they've got jewel shards, I'll be able to tell when they're nearby. All we have to do is wait for me to sense their jewel shards. Then we head in that direction and find her! You'll have your sister back in no time, Inu- Yasha!" she explained brightly.  
  
For the first time in days, Inu-Yasha's face broke into a true smile. His next action was completely spur-of-the-moment; he pick up Kagome held her in the air for a moment, and then pulled her into a rib-cracking hug. From where they were standing, the others could tell that even though most of his joy came from the thought that they could now save Kakurine, some of it came from the fact that it was the woman he was in love with that would be able to help him save her.  
  
Inu-Yasha and Kagome came back over to the rest of them with smiles on their faces, and Inu-Yasha said, "Let's start searching!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/n: Yippee!! Another chapter down, and this time I actually ended on a positive note. Now everyone knows about Kakurine, and they've got a plan to save her. Inu-chan's happy again, now, and that makes me happy! You know what else makes me happy? REVIEWS!! Please review my story!! The sooner I get new reviews, the sooner I put up the next chapter. 


	4. Witch Plans

"Family"  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Witch Plans"  
  
A/n: Hey! How come I didn't get any reviews? I'm going to cry if I don't get any reviews this time! I want reviews! Please?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mei and Rei paced back and forth in front of Kakurine, who they had placed in a sleeping spell. They stopped, looked down at her, then up at each other.  
  
"How in the world could she have begun to fight our spell?" Mei asked her elder sister. "That's never happened with any demon we've controlled before! Why now, and why with a mere half-demon?"  
  
Rei looked at the young half-demon, who remained in her peaceful, dreamless sleep. She was wondering the same things herself. How in the world could the young girl have fought against the combined spell of two master witches? It was completely inconceivable. No matter how much she thought about it, the solution to the mystery eluded her.  
  
"I really have no idea Mei," Rei answered at last. "We've been trying to figure this out for the past two days, but nothing that I can think of makes sense."  
  
"Do you think we should just place her under a stronger spell?" Mei suggested.  
  
"No. We can't risk it. Even if she can fight of the spell slightly, we still have enough control over her to keep her from openly rebelling. Anyway, if we do try a stronger spell, we may kill her. We can't do that. She's our only real weapon against Inu-Yasha. He's become much stronger since we last fought him. He could kill us now with that Tetsugia of his, but you saw him against Kakurine. He wouldn't attack her. As long as we have her, he won't fight us."  
  
Mei grinned evilly. "You're right. That will make it much easier for us to get him for ourselves." Suddenly her eyes went all sparkly as she imagined what it would be like for them to have Inu-Yasha under their control. "We'd never have him go into battle, that's for certain! I would just despise it if anything happened to him! He would be around all day, serving us, and at night, we could have our way with the handsome young demon." She blushed as she pictured what that would feel like. "Oh, I truly do adore him. We must get him soon, sister!"  
  
Rei gave the impatient Mei a strange look. "I didn't know you were that vehement about getting him. He is, after all, just another handsome man for us to enjoy."  
  
Mei's pink face went to a deep crimson. "I know that, but I want him more than any other male we've ever gone after."  
  
Rei smiled. "Well, we shall have him. I promise you that. Keep patient, my eager young sister. He will be ours."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/n: Yes, I know, this chapter is short, but I just really felt like writing more of this story, and this was all I could pull out of the creativity well at this time. Now, I won't post another chapter unless I get at least two new reviews!!! I have low standards. I don't mind only getting a couple of reviews, but I do still want some! Please?!?! 


	5. Encounter

"Family"  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Encounter"  
  
A/n: Hooray!! People reviewed! Even if it is only three, that's three enough for me to write another chapter!!  
  
Inuyashas girlfriend: I appreciate the fact that you're continuing to read my story as well! Also, I have something special planned as far as Inu-Chan goes, but I can't tell you what exactly. By the way, once again, you are right!! Inu-Yasha's a real hottie!!  
  
PhantomAngel17: Thank you so much! I will continue to write chapters as long as people continue to review.  
  
lilserenity: Thanks for the review!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha growled at a certain wolf demon that had made an appearance about three days after the witch sisters had attacked. Koga had decided to travel with them for a while, at Kagome's request, but Inu-Yasha was clearly not the least bit happy about it. He continuously threw Koga dirty looks as the wolf demon shamelessly hit on Kagome.  
  
After about two days of this, Kagome had had enough of Koga's flirting. "Listen Koga," she said suddenly on the third afternoon of him traveling with them, taking the demon by surprise. "I didn't ask you to come along so that you could hit on me. I asked you to come along because we need help finding someone. Please, Koga! Enough is enough!"  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked, finding the scene very funny. He noticed, however, that Kagome had carefully avoided mentioning exactly who it was they were searching for and why. He knew that if Koga knew they were searching for his sister, he would be out of there before anyone could blink, regardless of whatever Kagome said; Koga hated to do anything that would help Inu- Yasha, and as much as Inu-Yasha despised admitting it to himself (for he flat-out refused to say it out loud), they really needed the demon's help. He did, after all, possess jewel shards, which made him powerful, and they were going to need the extra strength to fight Mei and Rei.  
  
Koga was clearly taken aback by Kagome's outburst, for he didn't respond. Sango turned away, obviously hiding laughter. Miroku and Shippo were the only ones who seemed indifferent about it, for Kirara was asleep.  
  
Inu-Yasha stood up and walked away from the group towards the nearest tree. After perching himself on a high branch, he began to think carefully. They had been searching for nearly a week now, and no sign of the witches. Kagome couldn't even sense their jewel shards. He was beginning to get upset all over again. The plan was bound to work, but the problem was, unless Kagome came within a certain range of the shards, she'd never be able to find them, which meant the he'd lost Kakurine all over again. He hated, absolutely hated, the idea of losing his sister again, because it hurt even worse than it had last time. Several times at night, Inu-Yasha had to steel himself against tears. He never wanted to cry again, but now . . .  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome yelled suddenly, snapping him from his reverie. He jumped down from the tree and hurried back over to his friends . . . and Koga.  
  
"What is it Kagome?" he asked.  
  
"Three shards! I can sense three shards!" she said, half-excited, half- anxious.  
  
Inu-Yasha, meanwhile, was completely excited. That most likely meant that Kakurine was nearby. "Which direction?"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel out the direction, but there was no need.  
  
"We're right here!" came Rei's musical voice.  
  
They all turned sharply. There stood Mei, Rei, and Kakurine. Kakurine had an oddly hazy look to her eyes; it was even hazier than it had been last time.  
  
Mei smirked at Inu-Yasha. "We know you've been looking for us dear, so here we are! And here's the reason you were looking for us. Kakurine, get Inu- Yasha! Bring him to us!"  
  
"Yes mistress!" Kakurine said. She launched herself forward, claws bared. Inu-Yasha dodged barely in time, and he quickly moved away from his ensorcelled sister's onslaught. She continued to lash out at him with her claws, and he continued to dodge and block.  
  
Mei and Rei, meanwhile, were attacking everyone else, to prevent them from helping Inu-Yasha. They threw handfuls of fire and orbs of energy at them, making them constantly duck out of the way.  
  
"This is fun Rei!" Mei called out.  
  
"I agree Mei!" Rei said.  
  
Rei summoned a rather large energy orb and aimed it at Kagome. Before she could throw it, however, Koga came up and punched her across the face, knocking her off balance and causing her to lose the spell. When she stood up again, she glared at Koga with an indefinable hatred . . . for a moment. Then she caught sight of Koga's handsome face and well-defined muscles. Her eyes widened and suddenly, a hungry look came into them.  
  
"Sister, look what we have here! Another handsome one for us! Now we won't have to share Inu-Yasha!" Rei called to Mei, pointing to Koga.  
  
Mei looked at Koga and snorted. "You can have the wolf! I want the puppy!" she scoffed. She turned her attentions back to Kirara and Sango, who were coming at her quickly.  
  
Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, had his hands full trying to fend off his sister without harming her. She wasn't letting up at all, continuing to slash at him, trying to knock him out.  
  
"Kakurine! Stop it! Please!" he pleaded with her.  
  
"Not a chance, brother!" she replied, putting as much sarcasm into "brother" as she could. "I won't do it! I don't know what came over me the last time we fought, but it won't happen again!"  
  
She jumped backwards, and then up into the air, bringing her claws down to strike him. "IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!!!" she screamed.  
  
This time, her attack struck home. Inu-Yasha was sent flying, bleeding badly from his left shoulder. The second he stood back up, Kakurine brought him back down again with another Iron Reaver.  
  
Now bleeding rather badly, Inu-Yasha stayed down, finding himself without the strength or the heart to stand again.  
  
Kakurine stood over him, her hazy yellow eyes looking down at him triumphantly. "Now, you will come with me and my mistresses to our home in the White Forest! We'll be together again, just like we were when we were little. I can't wait for it!" She smiled. "We will be happy again, Inu- Yasha! We will!!"  
  
She reached down to help her brother onto his feet when suddenly an arrow flew through the air, hitting her shoulder. Kakurine turned sharply, her fangs bared as she growled. Kagome, who had somehow or other escaped from the witches' attention, was standing not too far away, another arrow notched, ready to fire.  
  
"You're not taking Inu-Yasha anywhere!!" she yelled angrily.  
  
If looks could kill, Kagome and Kakurine would have died gruesome deaths on the spot. They were giving each other looks of such ferocity that it even frightened Inu-Yasha a bit. Kakurine spoke up first.  
  
"I want nothing more than to be with my brother again. Even though Mei was always kind to me, to make up for her sister's coldness, I have been very lonely. Inu-Yasha is my only true friend. My mistresses want him, and I want him to always be near me! He will come to no further harm! I swear it! I would never kill him! I cannot, however, say that I have the same feelings about you. I won't hesitate to kill you, girl, if you stand in my way!"  
  
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"  
  
Kakurine was suddenly on the ground, blood soaking the back of her kimono. Kagome looked up in surprise; Inu-Yasha had found the will to pull himself to his feet and attack Kakurine for threatening Kagome.  
  
Kakurine turned and looked at Inu-Yasha, shocked. Mei, Rei, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, also looked at him in shock. Inu-Yasha had attacked his own sister. They remembered the last fight; he had refused to do anything but defend against her.  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" whispered the female half-demon.  
  
Inu-Yasha looked down at her, half-regretful, half-determined. "Kakurine, you may be my sister, but I will tolerate no one threatening Kagome's life, do you understand me? I will fight whoever I must to protect her, even you." Oddly enough, Inu-Yasha sounded like an older brother lecturing his younger sister when she had done something wrong.  
  
Rei glared. Inu-Yasha was clearly at the peak of his temper now, or at least near it, and when he was this mad, his enemy really felt the heat. She looked at Mei, who nodded, and they both flew over to the injured half- demon girl and disappeared with her again.  
  
Once they were gone, Inu-Yasha fell to his knees. He had attacked Kakurine! What the hell was the matter with him, attacking her!! He felt like a traitor of the worst kind.  
  
Kagome came over to him, all sympathy and gratitude. "Inu-Yasha, I know that that couldn't have been easy on you, but thank you for protecting me. I appreciate it." She smiled at him kindly. Inu-Yasha wasn't able to return it.  
  
"Wow. That was a close one," said Shippo, examining the singed fur on the tip of his tail.  
  
"Any closer and we wouldn't have made it," Miroku agreed.  
  
"It's a lucky thing that Koga was here to help," Sango said.  
  
That was when Inu-Yasha realized something. "Hey, where is Koga? I can't smell him anymore."  
  
Startled, they all looked around. Koga was gone, just like Mei, Rei, and Kakurine.  
  
"This is just great! Now what do we do?" Kagome grumbled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/n: Yippee!! I finished another chapter!! What's happened to Koga? And Inu- Yasha actually brought himself to attack his sister! Is this story heating up or what? I hope you're enjoying it! Remember please review! I have a new review minimum of two before I put of the next chapter! 


	6. Surrender

"Family"  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"Surrender"  
  
A/n: Sorry about the long time between updates, but I got sick. Anyways, I got four new reviews, so I can write the next chapter!  
  
Geminidragon: That's a little mean. I happen to like Koga. Anyway, can't answer that question, as you no doubt guessed. I will tell you, however, that something interesting will happen.  
  
Inuyasha's Girlfriend: As I said before, I have something special planned for our Inu-Chan. Be a little more patient; it'll happen this chapter. And cutie does suit Inu-Yasha. The puppy ears are so adorable!! I prefer to call him a hottie, or a babe, or dreamy, or . . . (rambles on)  
  
Lilserenity: I did warn at the start of the story that Inu-Chan would be a bit out of character. This is what I meant. As for Kakurine, you'll see.  
  
Jenna aka Kitty: I'll read your story too. I love Inu-Yasha fanfiction! And also, thanks for the compliment.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mei gave the sleeping Koga a deep scowl. Because of him, this stupid wolf demon that her sister found to be as handsome as Inu-Yasha, they had left Inu-Yasha behind. They could have grabbed the half-demon when they took Kakurine, but Rei had insisted. Mei huffed. She had no interest in anyone except the half-demon with the amber eyes. She smiled to herself. How she loved those eyes. They always held a certain strength, and a pronounced coldness that she knew he'd adopted when they took Kakurine. She wanted to stare into his eyes all that she could.  
  
"Mei! Wake up and help me! You're the more skilled healer!" Rei snapped, effectively pulling Mei out of her reverie and back to reality. Throwing Koga one more dirty look, she set about healing up the girl half-demon that until the last fight had been their primary defense. Now that they knew he would attack if pushed far enough, they would have to be extra careful.  
  
"Rei, did we really have to take this wolf instead. Inu-Yasha was hurt! We could have taken him as well!" Mei grumbled.  
  
Rei glared. "Why are you whining? This isn't like you at all. Normally you're the one that's happiest when we bring back a new man or demon for our amusement. Why are you so set on Inu-Yasha? Gorgeous though he is, he is still just another target for or fun collection."  
  
Mei ignored her sister's accusing questions and focused more of her power into the slashes on Kakurine's back. Once the last traces of the injuries were gone, Kakurine stood up.  
  
"Thank you mistress," she said, bowing.  
  
"Certainly," Mei said dismissively.  
  
Noticing Mei's tone, Kakurine went to a nearby window and looked outside. She mentally counted the number of days that had passed since the entire thing started, and then realized something, doing another mental count to make sure she was right.  
  
"There is a new moon tonight," she told Mei and Rei. "I will be unable to fight tonight, because I'll become a human."  
  
Rei's attention was caught instantly. "Wait a moment. Don't you and your brother become human on the same night?"  
  
"Yes," she said, wondering why Rei needed to ask.  
  
"Then I have an idea that just might get you the boy you so badly want, Mei," Rei said.  
  
Mei turned to her sister, wondering when was going through her mind.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The group stopped at an abandoned hut at the edge of the forest. They knew that there was a new moon that night, and Inu-Yasha would turn human. No matter how much he pretended otherwise, Inu-Yasha was very vulnerable on these nights, so they needed to stop. He wasn't happy, but he agreed.  
  
One the sun had set and Inu-Yasha had changed, Kagome set about making dinner. (Ramen again, shrimp flavored, to help cheer Inu-Yasha up.) Kirara tried her paw at cheering him up too, by cuddling up to him. That did manage to wipe the scowl off his face for a few moments, because he smiled at the little cat demon and stroked her soft fur, but his foul mood came right back. He always hated being human, and now it was ten times worse knowing that it was because of him turning human that they had to stop their search (now for the White Forest that Kakurine had mentioned).  
  
Kagome sighed and shook her head. She had long since given up on actively cheering him up when he was like that. Nothing they did worked. She served up the ramen and sat down to eat when she suddenly sensed it.  
  
"Jewel shards! I sense jewel shards again! Three of them!"  
  
Inu-Yasha stood up, but Miroku came over to him and said, "We'd best flee. Those witches are powerful, and we have no chance against them without the use of Tetsugia."  
  
Inu-Yasha growled. He hated being human!! Luckily, Kagome and Sango were all for staying.  
  
"Show some backbone, Miroku!" Sango said harshly to the lecherous monk. "We may have a hard time fighting them, but we can do it!"  
  
"Yes, and anyway, they still have Kakurine with them!" Kagome said. "We may be able to save her this time!"  
  
Inu-Yasha suddenly remembered something. "Kakurine turns human on the same night that I do! We'll stand a better chance saving her tonight than ever!"  
  
The three of them hurried outside followed by a disgruntled Miroku and a half-asleep Shippo.  
  
Mei and Rei were, as usual, floating above the ground, but this time, they were holding a struggling Kakurine with them. This startled them all.  
  
Rei gave a tremendous snort. "Our submissive spell only works on demons. It works on half-demons as well, but when they become human, it is ineffective," she explained.  
  
"LET ME GO YOU SLIMY WITCHES!!!!" Kakurine screamed. "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!!!!!"  
  
"Inu-Yasha," Mei said, just loudly enough to be heard over the screaming- and-cursing girl. "Since we now know that under the right provocation, you will attack Kakurine, we really have little use for her now. So we've come to you with an offer."  
  
"What kind of an offer?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
"One that will determine how long your sister and friends live," Rei said. "I have never liked this girl, so I want to kill her." She spoke in a regular tone, one that held no remorse for her servant. "However, if you agree to our terms, we will let her go free, completely free, no more submission spell or any such thing, and we will not kill these people that seem to mean so much to you either."  
  
Inu-Yasha let out a growl, but he said, "I'm listening."  
  
"You will come with us, and be our slave for eternity. You will make no attempts to escape, your loyalty will never waver, and you will do everything, and I truly mean everything, that we command," Mei told him.  
  
Hearing her tone when she said everything made a wave of intense nausea wash over Inu-Yasha. He detested the very idea, but if he didn't do it, Kakurine would die on the spot. He knew that those two would have no problems with taking her life, and they would then proceed to attack and kill all of his friends. He looked at Kagome sadly, and she knew what he was about to do.  
  
Kakurine saw it too. "No! Don't do it Inu-Yasha! I'd rather die than allow these witches to lay their hands on you in any manner! Don't do it! Please! I beg of you! Let them kill me!!"  
  
"Inu-Yasha, you can't!" Kagome cried. "Please! Don't do it! We can save Kakurine! Don't!"  
  
But Inu-Yasha wasn't listening to either. He walked forward, looked up at the witches, and said, "I surrender. You win."  
  
Mei squealed with glee. They landed and tossed Kakurine to the ground. Rei snapped her fingers, and a smoky ghost-like shape floated off of Kakurine and vanished. The young girl shook her head.  
  
"A deal is a deal," Rei said. "You are now free once again." She turned to Inu-Yasha. "You now belong to us. Come with us now." They came to Inu-Yasha and grabbed his arms.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Sango cried, rushing forward with her boomerang.  
  
"Sango stop! You may hit Inu-Yasha!" Miroku said, even though he looked like he wanted to attack as well.  
  
Kagome was trembling. She desperately wanted to shoot the witches with an arrow, but she had never been a perfect shot, and she couldn't risk hitting Inu-Yasha; one of her arrows might kill him.  
  
The witches lifted him into the air. Mei looked positively giddy.  
  
Inu-Yasha turned to look at his friends. "Don't forget me, guys. And try to stay out of trouble."  
  
With those words, he was gone.  
  
There was a moment of dead silence, but then Kakurine's shriek pierced the night air. Her brother had given himself up to save her! Why? Why did it have to happen at all? WHY?  
  
Kagome fell to her knees and began sobbing hysterically. Though the witches had jewel shards, now that they had Inu-Yasha, they wouldn't come back, and they still had no idea where the witches' home was.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Sango whispered helplessly.  
  
"We have to try to save him, of course!" Shippo said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"But we have no idea where they are," Miroku said.  
  
Kakurine stood up and turned around to face them. "You will help me save Inu-Yasha?" she asked. "I was going to go anyway, but I can't rescue him on my own."  
  
"Do you know where he is?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Yes," Kakurine answered. "I know where the White Forest is, and that is where we will find them all."  
  
"We'll help!" Kagome said. "Show us where to go!"  
  
Kakurine nodded. "Very well. Gather your things and follow me. The forest is a far ways away from here on foot. We must leave now if we hope to get there quickly."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/n: I'm almost ready to cry! Inu-Yasha got caught! Please, read and review so that they can save him! 


End file.
